, May 26, 2016 — For the fourth consecutive year, Mountainside Residential Care Center in Margaretville was named a national "Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality."
The Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing home, providing comprehensive skilled nursing 24 hours a day — part of HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley — received the honor from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization.
The foundation gives the distinction to U.S. healthcare facilities that meet LGBT-inclusive benchmarks contained in the foundation's national Healthcare Equality Index 2016. The index is an annual national survey that encourages equitable and inclusive care policies and practices for LGBT patients, visitors and employees.
The designation Mountainside received is based on healthcare facilities' patient nondiscrimination policies, equal visitation policies, employment nondiscrimination policies and training for employees in LGBT patient-centered care.
"At Mountainside and at all HealthAlliance facilities, we are committed to providing a welcoming and affirming healthcare experience to everyone, including our LGBT patients and families," said HealthAlliance President and CEO David Scarpino.
"We are honored Mountainside is recognized for the fourth consecutive year as a leader in LGBT healthcare equality, and we at HealthAlliance will continue to work hard to ensure our LGBT patients and their families are treated with the same compassion and understanding we seek to provide to everyone who trusts us with their medical care," Scarpino said.
HealthAlliance Human Resources Administrative Director Heidi Rosborough added: "We recognize the importance of a leader in healthcare also being a leader in healthcare equality. We are dedicated to making HealthAlliance a fully inclusive place to work and seek care, and we are pleased to see our efforts being recognized."
To be named a leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality, Mountainside met key criteria, including resident and employee nondiscrimination policies that specifically mention sexual orientation and gender identity, a guarantee of equal visitation for same-sex partners and parents, and LGBT health education for key staff members.
The Healthcare Equality Index offers healthcare facilities unique and powerful resources designed to help provide equal care to a long-overlooked group of patients, as well as assistance in complying with new regulatory requirements and access to high-quality staff training.
For more information about the Healthcare Equality Index 2016, or to download a free copy of the report, visit hrc.org/hei.
About HealthAlliance, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network
HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley operates a 315-hospital bed healthcare system comprising HealthAlliance Hospital: Mary's Avenue Campus and HealthAlliance Hospital: Broadway Campus in Kingston, New York, and Margaretville Hospital in Margaretville, New York. It also operates Mountainside Residential Care Center, an 82-bed facility in Margaretville. As Ulster County's largest employer, HealthAlliance is committed to attracting the best-qualified medical and support staff; providing outstanding, responsive, coordinated, compassionate patient- and family-centered care; excelling in clinical outcomes and patient experiences; and ensuring patient rights, privacy and respect are honored at all times, while improving the overall health and well-being of the diverse communities it serves. For more information about how HealthAlliance is delivering the promise of medicine, visit hahv.org or follow Facebook.com/HealthAllianceHV or Twitter.com/HAllianceHudVal.
About Westchester Medical Center Health Network
The Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) is a 1,700-bed healthcare system headquartered in Valhalla, New York, with 10 hospitals on seven campuses spanning 6,200 square miles of the Hudson Valley. WMCHealth employs more than 12,000 people and has nearly 3,000 attending physicians. From Level 1, Level 2 and Pediatric Trauma Centers, the region's only acute care children's hospital, an academic medical center, several community hospitals, dozens of specialized institutes and centers, skilled nursing, assisted living facilities, homecare services and one of the largest mental health systems in New York State, today WMCHealth is the pre-eminent provider of integrated healthcare in the Hudson Valley. For more information about WMCHealth, visit WMCHealth.org.
Save